Latest news with #JohnWick:Chapter3-Parabellum
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ballerina Isn't The Hot Mess I Expected It To Be, But It Does Screw Up John Wick's Timeline
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina is one of the most hotly anticipated movies on the 2025 movie schedule. As a big fan of the franchise and the world it has created, it was high on my list, too. I was a little worried about how the reported problems with the production, including director Len Wiseman stepping away at one point because of a health issue, would turn it into a disaster on screen. I'm happy to report that it isn't the hot mess I feared it could be. Ballerina is actually pretty good. It does seem, however, that the production turmoil has led to a real problem with the franchise's timeline. Before I go any further, I have to make it clear that there will be major spoilers ahead for Ballerina (and the third and fourth John Wick movies, for that matter), so proceed with caution if you haven't seen the Ana de Armas-led action movie. Since very early on in the development of Ballerina, we've known that Keanu Reeves, who, of course, plays John Wick in four movies in the franchise, would make an appearance. We also knew that Ballerina would take place between the third and fourth installments of the John Wick movies. We just didn't know how big a role Reeves would have, or how it would work into the plot. Early in the movie, Eve (de Armas) sees Wick come to the theater where she is training with 'The Director,' played by Angelica Huston. What Eve sees, from a different perspective, is what audiences saw in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Wick is branded over his tattoo, indicating he is out of the Ruska Roma. As he is leaving the theater, he and Eve have a brief encounter. I have to wonder if this was originally supposed to be the full extent of Reeves' participation in the movie. It's well known that the director of the four principal John Wick movies, Chad Stahelski, stepped in after initial production wrapped to do re-shoots with Reeves, but just how much work he did is subject to debate. Some reports claim there were extensive re-shoots, but Stahelski himself has downplayed just how much he did. Stahelski told The Hollywood Reporter, We just went in for a couple of weeks. We changed some of the action sequences and made up for some time that Len just didn't have. He didn't have enough time to do some of the bigger shots that it deserved. Reeves' role is much bigger than I thought it would be, with Wick appearing in much of the final act. It seems that at least some of this footage is what Stahelski is responsible for. It is also the part of Ballerina that really messes with the franchise timeline. We know the story is supposed to take place between the third and fourth John Wick movies, and the first scene with Reeves in the theater seemingly confirms that, as we see the scene from Parabellum. We also know that Wick is in bad shape at the end of Parabellum, barely clinging to life after falling from the roof of The Continental. He's certainly not in any kind of shape to travel to Europe and take on a village of assassins, as he does alongside Eve in Ballerina. Most speculation is that there are about six months between Parabellum and Chapter Four, and we know that during that time, however long it is, he is recovering from his extensive injuries with The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). We also know that Wick has been expelled from the Ruska Roma by The Director, yet it is Wick whom she calls to help Eve in the village of their rivals. There is no possible way that he could have gotten back in fighting shape and back on good terms with The Director in those few months between the third and fourth movies. The only possible explanation is that there is a much larger time jump between the first time Eve meets him at the theater and when he joins her in the mountain village. It has to come after the events of Chapter Four, and after Wick has again recovered from the injuries he received in that movie. Unfortunately, none of that is made clear, so we're left to wonder just what is going on. It seems entirely possible that the final fight scene in Ballerina could have come many months after the scene in the theater, as Eve has already completed both her training and her first mission protecting the daughter of a rich client. BUT – that's not actually possible either, as at the end of Ballerina we see Eve checking in to The Continental with Charon (Lance Reddick) at the front desk, and Charon was tragically killed in Chapter 4. In the end, there just isn't a way to explain how the timeline isn't screwed up by Ballerina. Either John Wick would be too beat up to be that powerful in the village, or Charon has come back from the dead. Either way, it makes no sense. That's not to say it ruins Ballerina or the John Wick franchise. Given the complications of the production and the film's delays, we all just need to be okay with the glitch in the matrix, so to speak. This film still delivers in the ways I want to see in the John Wick universe film, it's just a little frustrating that the creative forces behind the franchise have elegantly built a really fun world, and this is a blemish on it. If you want to catch up or rewatch all four John Wick movies, you can do so with a Peacock subscription, which is how I made sure I wasn't going crazy with these timeline questions. Peacock TV: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a yearCatch up on all the John Wick movies and the prequel show The Continental only on Peacock. For as little as $7.99 a month, you can also pay more for Peacock Premium and enjoy ad-free streams of both and much Deal
Time Magazine
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
A Spoiler-Filled Breakdown of Ballerina 's Connection to John Wick
Warning: Spoilers ahead for From the World of John Wick: Ballerina Before you see From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, in theaters now, it's worth catching up with the Keanu Reeves -led John Wick franchise. But for those who don't have time to watch the nearly nine hours of the action series, which begins with the titular hitman going on a killing spree over the murder of his beloved dog, don't worry. We're here to help you understand Ballerina 's connection to the John Wick universe. Ballerina, the fifth film in the John Wick series, is a thrilling spin-off starring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a ballet dancer-turned-assassin who, like John Wick, is a student of the crime organization known as Ruska Roma. (More on them later.) After learning of her family's secret connection to a cult-like army of killers, Eve embarks on a mission to get back at the Chancellor, the group's megalomaniacal leader, played by John Wick newbie Gabriel Byrne, who is responsible for killing her father when she was just a kid. The Ballerina trailer revealed that the Baba Yaga himself, John Wick, plays a role in Eve's quest for retribution. But is he a friend or a foe? For those who don't care about spoilers, here's a breakdown of how John Wick fits into the Ballerina story. When does Ballerina take place? Much of Ballerina takes place at the same time as the 2019 film John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. That film begins with John Wick being deemed 'excommunicado' by the High Table, a formidable 12-person council that governs the most powerful underground crime organizations, for killing one of their members at the New York Continental, a luxury hotel that acts as neutral ground for hitmen and women. A very big no-no in this world where breaking the rules comes with very steep consequences. With a major bounty on his head, John Wick finds himself fighting for his life with whatever weapons he can get his hands on: a knife, a gun, some horses, and, most notably, a New York Public Library book. It is him against the world and he knows he's running out of time. (Tick-tock Mr. Wick, tick-tock.) In order to survive, he'll need to act quick. So he returns to where it all began: the Tarkovsky Theater, the Ruska Roma's secret NYC headquarters, in hopes that the Director (Anjelica Huston, who reprises her role in Ballerina) will grant him one last favor. Who are the Ruska Roma? In John Wick, the Ruska Roma are one of the criminal organizations that have a seat at the High Table. The operation, made up of Belarusian contract killers, runs a ballet academy that is a front for their assassin training facility. The Director, the head of the Ruska Roma, took John Wick in when he was a young orphan and trained him to be a fighter that is light on his feet. She quickly became a mentor and a surrogate mother to the boy then known as Jardani Jovonovich. While John Wick would become one of the most feared assassins the High Table's ever seen, he was also a gun-for-hire for a different crime family, the Tarasov Mob. But he is still a member of the Ruska Roma; his tattoo of the Cross of Lorraine, the Ruska Roma's emblem which is used by the Russian Orthodox Church, proves that. He hopes that his past service is enough to convince her to officially release him from duty. Even if that means she'll face the ire of the High Table. The Director reluctantly frees him, but not without letting him know that by forsaking his connection to the Ruska Roma, he can no longer come to them for help. He will have to go it alone. Though as anyone who's seen John Wick: Chapter 4 already knows, even in this hyper-violent world, you can always come home. What is Eve's connection to John Wick? Ballerina visits the same moment from Parabellum in which John Wick comes to the Director looking for help from, this time through a different lens. Like John Wick, Eve was adopted by the Ruska Roma after the death of her father. In Ballerina, we learn that it was actually John Wick favorite, New York Continental manager Winston Scott (Ian McShane), who helped spearhead her adoption by the organization. This seems to confirm that Winston's cross tattoo, which pops up in John Wick: Chapter 4, was a sign of his deeper affiliation to the group. Though, it probably puts to rest the rumor that he was John Wick's biological father. (Eve has a few meaningful tattoos as well, which are on full display throughout Ballerina.) Eve is no prima ballerina so she's made it her mission to become a consummate killer. Specifically, one that is as prolific as John Wick. When the two meet at the theater, Eve is still a trainee trying to break into the contract killer business. She's looking for pointers from the best to ever do it, but at that point, John Wick is more than done with the assassin's life. Only months earlier, he was living the retired life and would have continued doing so if that group of Russian gangsters didn't kill the puppy his late wife gave him. When Eve asks him how she can become an expert killer, his advice is simple: 'Don't.' He tells her to walk out the door of the theater and leave the assassin's life behind. He suggests she forge a new path for herself before it's too late. It's good advice, but not even John Wick takes it since Parabellum was far from the end of his hero's journey. (And apparently, John Wick: Chapter 4 won't mark the official end of the character either.) But Eve's Rashomon moment sets her up for her own Wickian adventure, complete with a fierce wardrobe of expertly tailored tactical suits. Eve must learn the hard way that her decisions have consequences, deadly ones. How does Ballerina end? With a visit from Mr. Wick, of course. In the final act of Ballerina, Eve goes looking for the man who killed her father: the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the leader of a cult-like community of assassins. But this isn't just business, this is personal for Eve. The Chancellor, we learn, is her maternal grandfather. Eve's father was trying to take her away from the life she was born into, and the Chancellor killed him. Unlike John Wick, the Chancellor believes there are no choices, only fate. He believes that Eve is meant to follow in her family's bloody footsteps and he'll do anything to bring her back into the fold—even kill her. For decades, the Chancellor and his followers have lived in the remote Austrian mountain village of Hallstatt. Eve goes there looking to end the Chancellor's life, but to do so, she must take on the entire town of trained killers by herself, using everything from ice skates to katana swords to flamethrowers to beat them. Eve's unsanctioned act of vengeance does not go over well with the Director, who chooses to help the Chancellor in order to protect herself and the Ruska Roma. In Parabellum, the Director makes it clear that she is not that interested in the one, but the whole. So whether it's John Wick or Eve, she's willing to give them up in order to keep the Ruska Roma alive. But to take down Eve, she'll need to call in the big guns: the recently excommunicated John Wick. The finale of Ballerina takes place after the events of Parabellum, but prior to the start of Chapter 4. In the final moments of Parabellum, Winston shoots John Wick in order to save himself and the Continental. John Wick somehow survives not only the bullet, but a fall off a skyscraper. He is still on the run from the High Table and every one else who is interested in his nearly $20 million bounty. While there is a question as to why John Wick would bother helping the Ruska Roma at this point in his story, the rules of the High Table are clear: if you're given a name, you must take care of them. So John Wick arrives in Hallstatt on a side quest to kill Eve, only to discover that they've met before. Less than a year after their clandestine chat, neither has managed to get out of the assassin business. The two face off because they have no other choice, but John Wick decides to let her live, though not without a warning about the rules and consequences in this life they've chosen. He gives her until the stroke of midnight to kill the Chancellor and get out of town. After all, how could John Wick really keep someone from avenging a loved one? But John Wick doesn't just give her more time. He chooses to help Eve with her mission. He becomes her guardian angel. With a sniper rifle, he fends off a flame thrower-wielding assassin who has Eve cornered before taking down a team of trained killers on his own. Only then is she able to get to the Chancellor before time runs out. Like John Wick, Eve couldn't do this alone. She needed a helping hand and a little luck to complete her ultimate task. And as he's done so many times before, John Wick makes the choice that he knows he could stand behind. As delicious as it is to watch Eve take down her maniacal grandpa and his Bavarian town of psycho killers in an adrenaline pumping, hilarious scene, there is something even sweeter in watching John Wick tell the Director, 'It's done,' only to let her know that he didn't complete his mission, but Eve sure did. It's another friendly reminder that this is John Wick's world and we're all just living in it.
Pink Villa
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Tom Cruise ‘Loved' Rumored GF Ana de Armas Starrer Ballerina, Reveals How He Supports John Wick Universe
Ana de Armas is gearing up for her next big project, Deeper, co-starring with rumored boyfriend Tom Cruise, and she says the lessons she learned on Ballerina will guide her through the new action thriller. Speaking at the Ballerina premiere in Hollywood on June 3, she revealed how pushing for truth and taking risks shaped her performance. She also praised Cruise's enthusiastic support for cinema, hinting at their off-screen camaraderie and fueling rumors about her relationship with him. Ana's first comments centered on Ballerina, in which she plays Eve Macarro, a ballerina turned assassin trained in the Ruska Roma traditions to avenge her father's death. Directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten, Ballerina is set between John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and Chapter 4, and features stars such as Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, and Ian McShane. "I think it's important to keep looking for truth, answers…To keep pushing until you find your truth no matter what," Ana told Deadline. "So, take risks and get to the bottom of it." Ana's rigorous stunt work on Ballerina left her bruised and determined. "Everything hurt. My hands, my nails were broken, bruises everywhere, my neck," she admitted. Yet she called the experience a lot of fun. She believes Eve Macarro's resilience will inspire a new generation of women. During the same interview, Ana teased Deeper, which follows an astronaut encountering a terrifying force in an unexplored undersea trench. She said the work involves intense training to prepare for the physical demands of the job. Directed by Doug Liman with a script by Christopher McQuarrie, Deeper promises a blend of suspense and supernatural elements. "Training, just training, getting ready for what's going to come," Ana shared, hinting at rigorous preparation. At the premiere, Ana also addressed Tom Cruise's surprising support for Ballerina. While promoting Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Cruise publicly endorsed the film and praised Ana's dedication. "He supports every movie. He really wants the industry and cinema to do well, and people going to the theaters. We're working together," Ana told Variety. She said it meant a lot coming from Cruise.
